A site dedicated to getting healthy, happy, and free from disease.

Recreating Our Reality

Over a week ago, my husband, kids, and I went “Off-grid”. We stopped going online, stopped answering our phones (unless it was a family call), and pretty much shut out the world. Why? Because for a while now, I have been of the opinion that we could be healthier in many ways. In order to implement a healthier lifestyle that my whole family would buy into, I needed their complete attention. Once we “unhooked” ourselves, we began a dialog about our overall health. IMAGINE having the full and complete attention of 3 teenagers, 1 young 20-something, and your spouse AND they actually hang on your every word. Doesn’t happen very often, I know.

You see… I was relatively healthy as far as food goes. But I was not too healthy in other areas. And neither was my family. So I convinced my family to take a week off, focus on my marriage and our family and together we made the following changes:

First … We rid the house of all preservatives; food and non-food items. That meant many of our over-the-counter medications. We didn’t stop there. We tossed out all the chemicals in our house; all our prescriptions, all our cleaning supplies, most of our cosmetics and personal hygiene items, many food items that our kids typically enjoy, and yes, even pet foods. They all went into the trash. Hard I know. For a while, it felt like I was throwing away money. BUT in reality, I was throwing away bad health.

If I could have dumped the chemicals we use in the garage, I would have, but some are necessary for our vehicles to run properly. I guarantee you, I will be doing more research on that. There has to be a way to clean, repair, build, and maintain equipment without harsh chemicals.

Now I know you are asking what the purpose of this DEEP CLEANSE was for.

As you may know, we have been dealing with a mystery illness with my daughter since last fall. Then just a few weeks ago, my father’s cancer returned and two young cousins came down with near fatal illnesses. It was a wake up call.

As an extended family, we began using essential oils to combat the illnesses of all 4 individuals and the results are amazing. My daughter is almost completely healed and all her symptoms have disappeared. We are working on helping her regain the weight she lost. One cousin is seeing her inoperable brain tumor shrink and her symptoms are lessening. Another cousin has regained her sight and the pressure on her brain is reduced significantly. All her other symptoms are gone or are on their way out. My father is just beginning to apply the oils and we believe his health will greatly improve just as the others have.

Modern drugs and chemicals couldn’t help save these important people in my life. Natural plants and minerals are. Watching these dramatic health changes occur has led me to do some extensive research and I have found that as a society, we are poisoning our bodies. Our food has cancer causing chemicals, as do our medications, our cleaning products, and our personal care products, just to mention a few everyday items. Not only are we in danger of developing cancers, but other illnesses as well. Autism spectrum disorders are more prevalent, as are depressive disorders and many other mental health illnesses. Many of these are tied closely to compounds found in our store bought foods and non-perishable items.( DID YOU KNOW… that we are born with cancer cells in our body but they don’t trigger until they come in contact with a certain compound or chemical? That’s right! We ALL have cancer cells. They are simply not active in most of us. But our current lifestyle is upping our chances of those cells activating.)

I, for one, no longer want to poison my family so we are choosing alternatives.

Here’s what the Watkins’ family is doing.

Our household has gone organic. We are eating organic/ low salt/ low carb/ non-GMO food stuffs. We have eliminated foods that contain any sort of preservative or dye or added sugar. That means a lot more meal prep for us but the pay off is better tasting foods, valuable skills, and healthier diets.

We are using essential oils to treat all our ills and as our first aid, even on the animals. We are also using essential oils for personal hygiene and for some of our cleaning products.Yes, I make my own toilet bowl cleaner and air freshener and it costs pennies and works 100x better than the chemical stuff…AND I could drink it and it wouldn’t hurt me. Can you say that about store bought cleaners? OH, and did I mention it takes LESS time to prepare than it does to run to the store to purchase an item there?

For cosmetics, we are purchasing only those products that do NOT contain any chemicals. What good is it to change everything that we put into our bodies and then put chemical compounds on our skin? If the cosmetic is not organic AND toxin free, we don’t purchase it.

We have also gone chemical fee with all our cleaning items. We found a great company that makes all GREEN cleaners and what I can’t clean with oils, I clean with Shaklee™ products. I’m still researching an essential oils laundry detergent, dishwasher soap, and dish soap recipe so that I can cut down on the high cost of Shaklee™. ( Since I am saving money in other areas, Shaklee™ isn’t breaking our newly reduced budget, BUT I would love to save even more $$.)

In the week. that we have been doing this, the kids look healthier (there isn’t a single case of teen acne to be seen so you KNOW they are sold on our new lifestyle), the animals look healthier (nice shiny coats and no shedding to speak of AND that pet odor that they seem to get 2-3 days after a bath is gone too), the house smells fresher, our clothing, dishes, and appliances are cleaner, and we all feel more energetic and healthy.

It took some convincing to get the family to give up certain things and initially, the cost was high, but green and essential oils cleaners and products last 3-9x longer than store brands so I am saving money over all. We already knew that eating clean is less expensive than eating food with preservatives and chemicals, so that was an easy sell to the family. And lastly, essential oils are, by far, cheaper than prescriptions AND last longer AND work better than prescriptions and over-the-counter medications. Add in the savings of NOT having to go to the doctor or go into the hospital and I am saving hundreds if not thousands of dollars in the long run, AND I’m saving our lives. That does not mean that we are eschewing modern medicine. If I come up against something that essential oils can’t heal, I will definitely be back in my doctor’s office. It is an added bonus that our family physicians are both on board with us going NATURAL. I was surprised to learn that they and their families have made similar changes.

So that’s why we “unhooked” for a week. I had to get my heart, my head, and my goals all lined up and I had to be all in on this life change… PLUS my family had to be all in as well. I couldn’t be the only family member making such a drastic change and those of you with kids/teens know that if they don’t buy into anything not considered their NORM, then they can easily sabotage all your best laid plans. They had to be agreeable or this would not work for us.

This was not something we wanted to get into gradually, although we could have. AND if money is really tight, I recommend you make one or two changes at a time, not doing a full immersion as we have. For me, for our family, this had to be a total immersion. Our lives depend on it. And we are not regretting our choice.

It was worth it. There is a lot of strength in being invested as a family unit in the family’s overall health.BUT…

We didn’t stop there.

Second… We are improving our spiritual health as well.

We are recommitting to:

1. Daily personal and family scripture study and prayer. We can’t have healthy bodies without healthy spirits. For us that means strengthening our relationship with our Heavenly Father and improving our understanding of our Savior and what He desires for us.

2. We are also teaching our kids how to “meditate”; taking 10 minutes out of our day to turn inwards and focus on one thought or mantra, such as “I am loved”. It’s an effective means of eliminating daily stresses and it improves your self-esteem and sense of self. This is especially vital for our kids since society is constantly throwing messages at them telling them that they aren’t perfect if they don’t meet society’s idea of perfection. Anything that will help my child feel happy and secure in their own skin and raises their self-esteem in a healthy way is a PLUS in my book.

In just a week, I have seen a difference in how we all interact with each other. There has been a large reduction in arguing and tension in the home. I know. Hard to believe that a house full of teenagers could actually go several days without a “crisis”. We are actually 4 days and counting without a battle of wills or a fit of temper. Not even a temper tantrum or a slamming door. We all seem to be getting along better.

In my book, going Natural AND focusing on our spiritual health as well, is a win/win. We are making great strides in our physical, spiritual and even our financial health (Remember, I mentioned that our budget has decreased? Well, so have our waistlines in the last week… except for those who need to regain weight.)

This is why I went off the radar this past week or so AND this is what I am doing to improve my family’s overall health. AND I’m happy to report that I am already seeing some fantastic results.

About leisatwatkins

In May 2011, I hit an all time low in my life and an all time high in my weight. I was 199 pounds and the idea of hitting 200 scared me. I had tried every known diet, HCG, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Atkins, the grapefruit diet. I'd even tried Phen-phen when I was younger and Dexatrim before that. While I'd lose a little weight, I would always gain it back and then more. I knew the yo-yo dieting was not healthy for my body and it was definitely wreaking havoc on my mental wellness. I didn't know what to do and I was looking into taking drastic surgical measures to lose weight.
That's when a friend of mine told me his story about losing over 200 pounds without pills, surgery, or starving himself. Not only did he lose the weight, but he kept it off. What did I have to lose? I asked him to share the secret with me. Now, only six short months later, I weigh 140 lbs and am working on losing 5 more. That will put me back to my weight that I was in HS, college, and before I had children. And I've done it with my friend's help as my Health Coach, without starving or even exercising, although I love to walk everyday. I haven't felt hungry at all in this process. How many "diets" can say that?
I feel fantastic! I've felt great since the first week on this program.
Let me be very clear about this. This is NOT a diet. This is not something you do for a little while, lose the weight, then go back to your old eating habits. This program is a life changing plan to help you eat healthier, make food choices that are tailored to your body, and bring you to a state of optimal physical health. If like me, you are tired of diets that don't work, then let me show you a life style plan that does.

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I did my research, talked to a few breeders and vets and settled on Green Earth dog food for our two dogs. I add doTerra™ essential oils to their daily intake…sandalwood for healthy skin and coats, wintergreen for bone health, lemongrass to keep ticks and fleas at bay, and OnGuard as a deterrent to infections.